1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to an electric animal-training device that is carried by an animal. More particularly, this invention pertains to an electrode establishing a low impedance electrical connection for delivering an electroshock stimulus to an animal for behavior training purposes.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of electronic animal training devices, electrodes are frequently used to deliver a corrective stimulus to an animal being trained, for example, a dog. The electrodes serve as the conduit between the skin of the animal and a shock stimulus generator.
Generally, the animals being trained are mammals and, thus, have fur which interferes with good electrical connection between the electrode and the animal's skin. Likewise, dirt and debris may collect between the electrode and the animal's skin, thereby degrading a firm electrical connection. In addition, the presence of dry or dead skin cells on the surface of the animal's skin often interferes with proper electrical connection between the electrode and the animal's skin. In any of these situations, the resulting impedance of the electrical connection results in only a portion of the shock stimulus power reaching the animal.
It is generally known that the impedance of the electrical connection between an electrode and an animal's skin can be slightly reduced by holding the electrode more firmly against the animal's skin. More firm contact between the electrode and the skin often increases the surface area of skin brought in direct contact with the electrode and also reduces the tendency for hair and debris to intrude upon the electrical connection. However, when an electrode is continually held firmly against an animal's skin, prolonged pressure and friction between the animal's skin and the electrode can result in a skin malady known as pressure necrosis. Therefore, in ordinary use of an electronic animal training device, excessive pressure between the electrode and the animal's skin should be avoided.
In the human medical field, various electrodes are employed to monitor electrical signals emitted from patients as well as to deliver electrical stimuli to patients. In order to insure that medical electrodes make good contact and thus are good electrical conductors with human skin, a gel is often applied to the contact surfaces of the electrodes. The gel may be a liquid, a jelly or paste-like material, or a semi-solid material capable of providing good electrical conductance. Typical in the art are so-called hydrogels containing a sufficient electrolyte content to improve conductivity over a dry skin-to-metal contact. High- or low-viscosity materials may be used under certain circumstances.
In typical use of conductive gels in the human medical field, a skin surface is first prepped by substantially removing any excessive body hair. The conductive gel is applied to the prepared skin, and then the electrode is brought into electrical connectivity with the conductive gel. Following treatment with the medical electrode, remaining conductive gel is washed from the skin surface. However, the manual application of conductive gel to the electrodes used in an animal training device can be messy, time consuming, and tedious. In typical animal movement, applied conductive gel can smear, and the electrode can lose contact with the conductive gel. Moreover, in wet conditions, the conductive gel may wash away, thereby degrading the electrical connection between the animal training device and the animal's skin.
For this reason, conventional application of conductive gel is unsuitable for use with electrodes for an animal training device. A single conventional application of conductive gel to the contact points of the electrodes in an animal training device is often useful only immediately after the time of application and for a limited time thereafter. After the limited time following conventional application passes, the improved electrical connection provided by the conductive gel often dissipates. Such conventional application of conductive gel to an animal is thereby rendered ineffective before use of the electrodes in the animal training device becomes necessary.